Mommy's Girl
by Arayllin
Summary: "Please can we keep her?" He pleaded, "C'mon, Raven - it'd be like I was her daddy and you were her... never mind."
1. Unexpected Guest

It was an ordinary day in Jump City, and – no, scratch that. It was an abnormally hot day in Jump City, and a massive power outage had afflicted the city with an outrageous heat wave. On a small island in the middle of the city, a metal T-shaped Tower stood alone, experiencing the temperature tenfold. Inside, the Teen Titans were roasting. Although Cyborg and Robin had been at work all day, neither had been able to get the AC up and running again, and even the emergency power-outage lights had been turned off to lower the temperature within.

"Dude!" Beast Boy threw himself facedown on the sofa, arms flung over the sides and tongue out, "This isn't even funny anymore!" He had long ago changed into Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian-style floral shirt, but he was still about ready to die from the heat. Lifting his head to look at Robin for a moment, Beast Boy groaned before sinking it back into the cushions. "Can't you just go buy us ice cream or something? It would be so much more… make sense!"

"So much more make sense?" From her place at the table, Raven couldn't help but pick up the grammatical error, and Beast Boy sighed.

"You know what I meant," he said, too hot even to argue with her. "I just think ice cream is a better idea than not doing anything."

"But we're _trying_ to do something." Robin cut in, finally responding to the changeling's pleas. "It's just not working."

"Then go get ice cream!" Beast Boy cried, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Even _Raven_ wants you to go!" He thrust his arm in her direction to demonstrate his point.

"Don't drag _me_ into this." Raven had come down from her room hours ago, and had been passing the time sitting at the table with a book in her lap. She too was suffering from the heat, as shown by her cloak draped across her seat rather than around her neck.

"Well… she does." Beast Boy finished lamely. "Just go. Get. Us. Icecream."

"Y'know what, Rob?" Cyborg looked up from the work he was doing. "We might as well go get something; this isn't gonna be working any time soon…"

"_Yes_!" Beast Boy pumped his fist in the air, "Please! Hurry back, travel safe, we'll be waiting!" He shoved the two older Titans out the door, slamming it behind them and rubbing his hands together, "It's about time they did something useful!"

He strolled past Raven – who didn't glance up – and back to the sofa, where he fell back onto it face first. Convincing the guys to go and buy him ice cream was a lot of work, and he was tired out from the effort. Closing his eyes, the green teen let himself sink into the sofa, about ready to fall asleep when a sudden knock at the door jolted him up again.

"_Darnit_!" He sat up, and then flopped back down, "Would you get that, Raven?" She didn't answer, and he lifted his head to find her still at the table, apparently ignoring him. "Raven?"

"Get it yourself."

"But I'm _tired_!" He whined. "I'm not answering it." He grabbed a pillow from the other side of the sofa and shoved it onto his head, trying to drown it out as another knock sounded at the door. He figured it was Robin or Cyborg – they had probably forgot to bring money or something – but they could let themselves in… or maybe they were back with the ice cream already?

The thought made him sit up, but when he did so he found Raven already standing and heading to answer the door, so he allowed himself to lie down again and placed the pillow back over his head.

He heard the door slide open, but nobody came in, and the empath said not a word. A moment or so later, she was at his side.

"Get up." Her voice was stern, and had an edge to it Beast Boy had never heard before.

He lifted the pillow off his eyes. "What?"

"Get _up_." She said again, and finally he complied, wondering what the fuss was.

"What's the problem?" He wiped sweat from his forehead, following her gaze to the door. "Who's there?" What on Earth would it be that would have Raven getting _him_ to see it? Nothing came to mind, unless it was a trap of some sort. But no, Raven was above that… wasn't she?

He took a few steps towards the door, Raven walking directly behind him, and flinched back when he reached the entrance. Nothing happened.

"Hello?" Beast Boy looked back and forth, and then stepped out of the Tower. He grimaced as the full heat of the sun fell on him, but no-one came forward. "What's the big deal, man?" He turned back to Raven, "There's nobody… here?"

She was crouching on the ground, staring intently at a small wicker basket that was sitting on their doorstep. He must have walked over it on his way by, not even noticing its presence.

"What's that?" He came around behind her, and his eyes widened. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

The basket was about the size of a breadbox, and nestled inside a pink blanket of silk, an infant child stared up at them. Her big periwinkle eyes followed Beast Boy as he came around to crouch beside Raven, and an eerie silence fell over the two Titans.

"How did _she_ get here?" Beast Boy broke it, his jaw on the ground. "Did someone just-"

"This is bad." Raven couldn't tear her eyes from the little creature cooing at them. A tiny hand reached out of the blanket and waved around in vague patterns, enticing them to come closer. Beast Boy's own hand slowly moved towards it, and she wrapped her small fingers around his thumb.

"Awww," His eyes sparkled, "she's beautiful!" He inched closer, pulling the pink blanket back away from her face, "And she must be _melting_!" Underneath the blanket, the child was wearing a very small, very pink jumpsuit, with a matching jacket and everything. "Who would dress a kid like this? It's like 500 degrees out!"

Without really thinking about it, he lifted her from the basket entirely, pulling the jacket off of her body and holding her close against his chest, "Let's bring her inside."

"Unh-unh, no way." Raven stood and shook her head. "We are taking it to someone who will take care of it. Right now."

"We can't do that!" Beast Boy protested, lifting the basket with his left hand as he balanced the baby in his right, "She came to us! Someone left her here for a reason, and we need to figure that out before we do anything else!"

Raven growled, "It's not our problem." She said, her eyes narrowing. "We need to take it somewhere else."

"No." Beast Boy, for once, was firm. "I'm taking her inside. We can talk once she's cooled down."

Raven growled, but gave in, and the two returned to the Tower. Raven slid the door shut behind them while Beast Boy went over to the sofa. He wasted no time in placing the basket on the coffee table and cradling the little girl in his arms. "She's so…"

"Strange." Raven rummaged through the basket, looking for a sign of a note or token or something. Anything to tell them who the baby was and where she had come from, "Why did someone leave it here?"

Beast Boy sighed. "Would you stop calling her _it_? She's not an animal!" Raven didn't respond, and he turned back to the baby. "She's cooled down already."

"Great." The response was sarcastic, and so Beast Boy ignored it.

"You know," Raven continued talking. "Robin's not going to like this."

"Robin?" Beast Boy looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he's going to flip when he sees this – he won't let it stay, not even for a minute."

"Why not?"

"You're going to get attached to it." She raised an eyebrow at how close he was holding the kid, and the way he was currently sticking his tongue out and making faces so she would laugh. Beast Boy noticed her glance, and cleared his throat, lowering the baby to his lap and shaking his head,

"I won't!"

"Yeah, sure."

"Baaaaaap!" The baby yelled out suddenly, adding her two cents to the conversation. Beast Boy blinked at her, then burst out laughing.

"See, Raven!" He said happily, "She _wants_ to stay!" Still grinning, he froze suddenly as a sudden knock at the door interrupted any further conversation. Cyborg's voice rang into the room. "Hey, BB, open up! My hands are full o' ice-creamy goodness!"

Beast Boy's eyes widened, all traces of laughter gone. "Oh no – Robin!" He hurriedly placed the baby back into the basket, and wrapped the blanket around her before putting it all in Raven's arms.

"Hey!" She pulled away, but he pressed it into her.

"Please Raven!" His eyes were pleading as the banging at the door grew louder. "Work with me; just this once!" Raven pressed her lips together, glaring at him as he let go of the basket, leaving it in her arms alone.

"What do you want me to _do_ with it?" She asked through clenched teeth, and Beast Boy shrugged, "Just take her to your room, I dunno!" He raced over to the door, casting once last glance at her as she turned on her heels and left the main room, not even sure why she was doing so. He waited until the door slid shut behind her before he opened up the main door wide.

"Hey, guys! Welcome back!"


	2. Decisions, Decisions

"So," Beast Boy held the baby in his lap, leaning up against the headboard as she cooed innocently up at him. "Whatcha gonna call her?" He looked across the room to where Raven was pacing, still in shock.

She couldn't believe what was happening – Beast Boy was in her _bedroom_, sitting on her _bed_ and rocking a _baby_. While asking her what she was going to name it. How did this happen?

"What do you mean what am _I_ going to call it?" She turned to face him, annoyed.

"That was the deal right?" Beast Boy put on his goofiest grin. "I said that if you'd help me hide her you could name her!"

"… I never made such an agreement." Raven couldn't even recall the changeling having made such a request, let alone giving her consent to it. "We're not keeping it."

"Aww, c'mon!" Beast Boy cuddled the little girl to his chest as she muttered nonsense into the air. He licked at his ice cream cone as he argued, careful to keep it out of her reach. "Why not? We could keep her in your room, and maybe even make her a little bedroom of her own! We could-"

"It's a terrible idea." Raven shook her head. "If Robin even heard about this…"

"Robin won't find out," Beast Boy said determinably. "We can keep it a secret!"

"The way you kept Silkie a secret from us?" The empath raised an eyebrow, and Beast Boy slumped against her bed.

"But… that was different."

"Daadaadaadaadaaaaa!" Both Titans jumped as the baby shrieked in his arms, and Beast Boy nearly dropped his ice cream cone trying to quiet her. For a moment the room was silent, then Raven spoke up again.

"It's the exact same thing, Beast Boy;" She frowned, "we can_ not_ keep a baby in Titans Tower; especially undetected. It's not a good idea, and will only end horribly."

"But Raven!"

"No buts – we're taking her to… someone. Right now."

"Someone!" Beast Boy wailed. "You can't do that to her! She needs a proper home – you can't just ditch her on the-"

"I was thinking an orphanage."

Beast Boy blinked. "…oh."

"Now let's get going." Raven glared at the changeling, not wanting him in her room any longer than he had to be. In her opinion, he had been so already, and she was in no rush to keep him longer.

However, before Beast Boy even had a chance to argue further, the alarm went off suddenly, causing both teens to jump.

"Trouble!" Beast Boy leapt up, "We have to go!" He glanced suddenly at the baby in his arms, "Err… I mean, _I_ have to go."

"What are you-"

"Raven!" A sudden knock at her door interrupted them again, and Robin's voice came through the steel, "Trouble, let's go!" Beast Boy made his way quickly to Raven's side.

"What are we going to do with her?" he said quietly, not wanting Robin to hear him in Raven's room.

Raven held a hand to her forehead, "Shoot me now." she muttered, before reaching her hands out to take the infant. "Go help the team," she said to Beast Boy, barely knowing why she was, "I'll drop it off somewhere."

"Thanks, Ra- noo!" Beast Boy's grin evaporated as quickly as it had come, and he growled at her. "Wait for me! I wanna drop her off together!"

"Raven, come on!" Robin pounded on the door again, and Raven stiffened. "Fine, I'll wait!" She returned the growl, and shoved Beast Boy towards the door. "Good luck with your excuse." She stepped away from the door as the green teen pried it open, so that she would not be seen as he slipped out, and placed one hand over the baby's mouth. Without looking back, Beast Boy shut the door tightly behind him, turning to see Robin's bewildered expression.

"_Beast Boy_?" The Titan's leader raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over his face. "Where's Raven? And what are _you_ doing in her room?"

Beast Boy – for perhaps the first time in his life – thought fast, and gave a quick, clever answer. "Raven's not feeling too well," he said speedily, "she says to go on without her."

"Oh," Robin's voice lost its hard edge, and he leaned towards her door. "Is she going-"

"She'll be fine!" Beast Boy cried hastily, pointing to the red lights flashing over their heads, "But-we-should-really-be-going-come-on-let's GO!" He grabbed Robin's arm, pulling him away from the door and in the direction of the main room.

"Uhh, right," Robin nodded, allowing himself to be dragged away, but not without casting one last worried glance at his team mate's door. "Let's go."

Pressed up against the wall adjacent her door, Raven let out a sigh of relief as the footsteps retreated, and she glanced down at the child in her arms, expressionless.

"How do these things happen?" she asked the infant, walking to her bed and laying her carefully on the pillows. "I don't even like kids." A sudden image flashed into her head – of Melvin, Timmy and Teether – whom she had always referred to as "her kids", but she brushed it away quickly.

"That's entirely different." She told the baby, who was staring up at her with wide eyes. Sitting on the opposite end of her bed, Raven watched as the baby rolled over clumsily, landing herself facedown on the blankets. Squirming around, she somehow managed to get herself horribly entangled in a matter of seconds, and Raven sighed. Without really thinking about it, she sent a tendril of magic out, using it to flip the baby back over, so that she was facing the ceiling.

"Nice try," she said, still watching from afar as the little one giggled. She had seemingly found much enjoyment in her little escapade, and she waved her arms about as she stared at her surroundings. After a moment of this, the baby turned her head, looking directly at Raven. The teenager looked away quickly, but a small coo from the baby was all it took for her to look back. Pulling her legs up onto the bed, Raven crawled forward, leaning directly over the baby, examining it with her eyes. The baby met her with big puppy dog eyes, and Raven couldn't help the smile that touched her lips as she reached up for her.

"You know," she whispered, sitting back against her pillows, "you _are_ kinda cute…"

About an hour later, Raven awoke to a loud knocking on her door, and rubbed at her eyes, "Hunh, what?"

"Raven, you in there?" Beast Boy all but whispered through the door, "Hurry up and let me in!"

Still a little disoriented, Raven rose to her feet, going over to the door and sliding it open, "What?"

"Get in, get in!" Beast Boy shoved past her, and Raven growled inaudibly. "I think Robin's coming up to see you! He'll see the… where's the baby?"

"The what?" She was annoyed – Beast Boy was not supposed to be in her room, strange events or not.

"The _baby_!" Beast Boy ran over to her bed, looking around wildly. "Raven you were supposed to be watching her! Where did she-"

"She's over there." Raven pointed uncaringly across the room, fully awake now that she had been so rudely invaded. Beast Boy glanced up to see where she was pointing, and proceeded to race over to where Raven had left the baby.

After her startling discovery an hour earlier, Raven had decided to make the child a bed of sorts. She didn't want it messing up her own bed, and so had snatched some sheets from the closet and spread them on the floor, where she had placed the baby on top of a little pillow. She had then lain down on her bed to watch it, apparently falling asleep in the process.

"Did you make this Raven?" Beast Boy had the little girl in his arms again, looking quizzically at Raven as he rocked the bundle back and forth. "I'm… impressed."

"Don't be," The empath said flatly, "I just didn't want it drooling on my bed."

"Of course." Beast Boy lay down on his back, laying the baby down across his chest and watching Raven closely. "I think you like her."

"I do not."

"Yes you do." He grinned. "You think she's adorable, admit it!"

"I don't want anything to do with it."

"_Her._"

"I don't want anything to do with _her_."

"So how old would you say she is anyhow?" Beast Boy had already moved on from the subject. "She's gotta be at least one…"

"Can she sit up?" Raven crouched beside them, careful to keep her distance, but close enough to see what was going on.

"I dunno." Beast Boy sat up again, pulling the baby with him and turning her around, "Let's see." He sat her gently on the ground, and then let go of her, keeping his hands by her back in case she fell over. The baby wobbled for a second, but stayed balanced, and Beast Boy grinned. "She can."

"That's a start." Raven frowned. "How about walking?"

Beast Boy was already on it, having lifted her to her feet and let her take the weight herself. Again, she wobbled quite a bit, but found her balance from him and stayed upright.

"She'll fall if I let go;" Beast Boy realized, "I can feel it – her balance isn't good enough - she's strong enough to stand though." Spinning her around again, he dropped her into his lap. She giggled at this, as did Beast Boy, and Raven rolled her eyes as they laughed together. Though he was acting like an idiot, Raven was truly a little surprised at how good Beast Boy was with the baby. She had never though he could be so… gentle. It was no wonder kids flocked to him.

"I would say she's just over a year old." He announced suddenly, and Raven blinked.

"How can you tell?"

"Welll," Beast Boy took a long breath before going on, "she can sit up on her own, and stand up almost on her own. She would probably be able to walk with help, and she's pretty loud and talkative if you ask me. She can grab onto stuff and roll over, and I'll bet she can crawl. All of that stuff is typical of a one year old baby, but I'm mostly just guessing."

Raven was surprised at how smart that had sounded, but kept it to herself, shrugging. "Best we've got."

"Exactly." There was a slight pause. "So can we keep her?"

"No!"


	3. Baby Gets a Name

It had been a couple of days since the baby had been discovered in front of Titans Tower, and Raven marveled at the fact that she was still with them. She couldn't believe she hadn't kicked the kid out yet, or made Beast Boy come clean, or told Robin herself… she had threatened to do any of those things a number of times, but had yet to carry it out. Beast Boy said it was because she was falling for the baby, but Raven knew that wasn't the case. She just wasn't a children person…

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she forced herself to relax – the baby had been wreaking havoc on her nerves ever since her arrival and she was in serious need of meditation. Ordinarily the baby was in Raven's bedroom, seeing as Beast Boy would never be able to hide her, but the changeling was helping out however he could. Right now, for example, he was sitting on the floor in her bedroom playing "peek-a-boo" while Raven meditated in the main room. It was nice to have some time to herself, and Raven didn't even realize she had company until Starfire finally spoke up.

"Raven?"

"Azar – what." Raven opened one eye, her voice expressionless as the alien replied.

"I was wondering if you would like to–"

"No."

"…oh. All right." Starfire turned to leave, but hesitated suddenly and glanced back at her friend. "Are you… feeling better?"

"What?" Raven, annoyed, glared at her friend, "Yes, I'm fine. And I'm trying to meditate."

"Sorry!" Starfire said quickly, "I was just wondering if maybe you had 'the flu' because Beast Boy has been in your room a lot and Robin seems to be growing worried and Cyborg said that you two were–"

"Hold that thought." Raven growled, her feet coming to rest on the ground. "I'm going to my room." Marching past the stunned Starfire, Raven left the main room and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Walking in, she was startled by the sight of Beast Boy sprawled out across her bed, fast asleep beside the little girl. _You idiot…_

* * *

"Really, though, Raven," Hours later, Beast Boy glared at the empath leaning up against the far wall of her bedroom as he paced the room. "She does need a name."

"No, she doesn't." Raven, Beast Boy noticed, has ceased to call the baby "it", which he saw as a very positive accomplishment.

"Uh, dude, yes she does." Beast Boy countered, glancing at the child sleeping on the make-shift bed on the floor. "We can't just keep calling her 'the baby'."

"Why not?"

"It's not right." Beast Boy shook his head. "She showed up in a basket, no name tag, no note, no nothing. If she has a name, it's not going to help her now." He stopped his pacing, coming to a halt directly in front of Raven. "Look, even if we _do_ drop her off at an orphanage or something, she's still not going to have a name. So why don't we give her one? Come _on_ Raven, please?"

"Will you shut up if I name it?" Raven rubbed her fingers across her temples, truly irritated with the changeling's whining. It had been enough that he had fallen asleep on her bed (for two hours!), but now he was trying to get _more_ out of her? She took a deep breath.

"Yes!" Beast Boy nodded eagerly at her request. "Yes yes yes!"

"Fine then." Raven pushed off the wall and crouched beside the baby, close enough to hear her little lungs taking each breath. "What… what do _you_ want to call it?"

Beast Boy blinked – he had agreed to let Raven name the baby (a one-sided agreement, really), and hadn't expected her to ask his opinion at all. Still, he was ready at once.

"Well… she needs a nice, pretty name. One that works for a baby as well as a hot teen chick."

"…what."

"You know, for when she grows up and – never mind."

Raven's eye twitched, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes!" Beast Boy said quickly, "I like lots of girl's names! Like…" he paused, "um, I have no idea."

"Helpful."

"Well…" Beast Boy made a face, "I'm no good at this."

"Just list off some girl's names you know, Beast Boy." Raven was already tired of this, about ready to throw the infant out the window. Or Beast Boy – that would be better. She closed her eyes, picturing his arms flailing as he plunged wildly off the tower… if only he couldn't fly.

"Okay, let's see…" Beast Boy frowned, thinking, "Uhh, Rita… Terra… Kole… Starfire…"

"Beast Boy." Raven clenched her jaw. "I mean people we _don't _see regularly."

"Now when was the last time we saw Kole?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"Okay, okay!" Beast Boy threw his arms in the air. "I'll give you some real ones. Lemme think. Tina? Lisa? Cindy? Umm… Katie? Jenny? Erin?"

"None of those fit…" Raven closed her eyes again, this time considering names – seriously considering them, even to her own surprise.

Beast Boy too was concentrating. "Okay… how about Courtney? Or Jessica… Marissa?"

"Nope. Something simpler."

"Simpler." Beast Boy sighed. "Hmm. How about Zoey? Trish? Margo?"

"No… wait." Raven opened her eyes. "What was that last one?"

"Margo?" Beast Boy glanced over her way. "You like that one?"

"Mmm, I think I do." Raven nodded slowly, staring at the baby thoughtfully. Before Beast Boy could stop her, the empath had scooped the child from her makeshift bed, pulling her onto her lap. The baby stirred, staring into Raven's eyes with a sleepy expression on her face, "What about you?" Raven whispered to the baby, "Do you like it?"

Beast Boy didn't say a word – surprised as he was by this sudden development (Raven talking to a _baby_?), he didn't want to ruin the moment.

The baby giggled softly, opening her mouth in a sleepy smile as Raven began to rock her back and forth.

The empath smiled. "I'll take that as a yes… Margo."

* * *

7 am. Morning.

Beast Boy climbed down from his bed, avoiding the blankets strewn all over the floor as he exited his room. He headed for Raven's room out of habit – it had been nearly a week now since Margo's discovery, and Beast Boy had been all but living in Raven's room. At this point, he needed only to knock before gaining entrance, and Raven was always happy to let him in. Of course, she still wasn't too thrilled to have him in her room, but being up all night with a crying baby was enough to make her glad to see him.

"_It never shuts up." _She had complained to Beast Boy the day before, when he had found her still in bed at noon. _"I didn't get a second of sleep."_

He'd figured the best thing to do would be to take over for her whenever he could, and so he had begun getting up earlier. Raven was ordinarily up at this hour anyhow, and when he came to her room she would leave to make herself some tea and have some quiet time before the day began. Meanwhile, Beast Boy would keep Margo happy until the time that _he_ usually got up.

Their afternoons were often spent searching for the little girl's parents or family. Raven had decided that it would be acceptable to keep the baby for a little while longer – if they didn't find any clues after a few weeks then they would turn her over to the proper authorities. And so most of the two Titans' time was spent either caring for Margo, or searching for her real home.

It was tiring work, and it had become increasingly hard to hide their doings from their team. The "she's sick" excuse had only worked once, and they were running out of other reasons for one of them to stay behind during their fights. Crime had been on the rise in Jump City, but neither Titan was willing to leave Margo alone for more than ten minutes – even when she was asleep.

"_It's too risky,"_ Beast Boy remembered Raven saying, and he had agreed. It was too risky – risky for Margo's discovery as well as for her safety. They would have to come up with a new strategy soon; he could tell Robin was beginning to get suspicious. Not to mention Cyborg's seemingly endless list of "theories"… Beast Boy let the thought go from his mind.

"Raven?" Beast Boy knocked on the door softly, and was surprised that it didn't open when he did. "Hello?" He had learnt that her door was rarely locked – despite appearances – and he slowly pushed it open, edging inside before closing it behind him.

He glanced over at the bed, not surprised to find it empty, and then flicked on the light. "Raven? Where are you?" He frowned – this wasn't like Raven at all. She was typically up by now, and was all-too-eager to hand the baby over to him and get on with her morning. It wasn't normal for her to be gone when he arrived…

"Helloooooooo-!" Beast Boy cut himself off when he noticed something on her bedpost. He frowned, stepping forward to see it better. It was a note – a small sheet of paper with Raven's handwriting on it.

_Gone out. – Raven and Margo_

That was it. Raven had taken her out for a while, though he couldn't figure out where for the life of him. Maybe they had gone to a park? A carnival? A zoo? Beast Boy almost laughed – the image of the two of them out anywhere was absurd, but it was nice to see they were finally getting along.

_It gives me some time to myself, at least_, he thought, leaving the note where it was and heading back out of Raven's room. He wasn't ordinarily up at this early hour – or, not until recently anyhow – but he did know that the other Titans typically weren't either. He would have the whole Tower to himself! A hundred possibilities ran through the changeling's mind, but he settled the matter to himself quickly. He hadn't had a chance to play any of his video games since the day Margo had been found, and his gamer's soul was hurting badly.

_I'll just play a few levels,_ he told himself, sinking down onto the floor in front of the widescreen TV. _Just a few levels…_


	4. Caught Off Guard

_**A/N: **For those of you who have been reading this for a while, I'd suggest re-reading the first three chapters; as of the posting of this forth they have been updated. Nothing major, but it might be nice to look back on them just in case. _

_Sorry for the lengthy wait; please enjoy chapter four! This is the one where things get interesting! -Arayllin_

* * *

Fifty-five levels and four hours later, Beast Boy looked up from his game. Robin and the others had gotten up hours ago, but the changeling had yet to notice them whatsoever. At the moment, they were all busy elsewhere, so he was still unaware of them as he paused his game, racing to the fridge for some tofu waffles.

Grabbing a pack, he threw them into the toaster and leaned against the counter as he waited. Unwittingly his mind began to wander to Margo, and how he had grown to love the baby over the last few weeks… he still found it weird how Raven too had connected with the infant, but he was glad for it. This way Margo was still with them, and they were like a big, happy family.

_But still, _he thought, glaring at the clock with a puzzled expression, _Why are they taking so long…?_

* * *

The little girl giggled as she rolled in the soft grass, her temporary guardian standing over her with a smile on her face. It was a beautiful day in Jump City – the sun was shining and it wasn't nearly as hot as it had been the week before. The girls had been out for hours, and Raven had to admit to herself that she was having fun. She'd changed into jeans and a hoodie before leaving so as not to make people suspicious, and had gotten Margo into a cute little sundress Beast Boy had bought for her days earlier. It was almost humorous how well he played the doting parent…

_But why am I thinking about _him? _I'm here with Margo._ Raven rolled her eyes at herself, sitting gently in the grass beside the child she had already come to think of as hers. "Are you having fun Margo?" The dark-haired child replied with a shout, and Raven smiled. "That's good." She hadn't been sure what Margo would think of the park – it was often noisy and filled with strange people and sounds – but she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. They had already played on the baby swings, and Raven had even guided her down the kiddie slide, but now they were just sitting in the grass enjoying one another's company. Or, Raven was sitting. Margo seemed to be getting the hang of walking since her stay at Titan's Tower had began – Raven suspected Beast Boy had something to do with this, but watching her toddle around in the grass, Raven realized that she didn't really mind.

It was almost as if Margo had put a spell on her – Raven had never fallen in love with something so quickly before; she couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt so happy, and she smiled warmly as she planted a kiss on the baby's head. Margo laughed out loud in response, and Raven grinned despite herself. This was turning out to be one of the best days she'd had in a very long time…

* * *

"Okay, B – spill." Returning from his waffle run, Beast Boy was startled to find Cyborg, Robin and Starfrire sitting on the couch, staring at him. Cyborg had his arms crossed, and Beast Boy's game controller in one hand, so the changeling knew at once he wasn't going anywhere.

"Oh, uhh, hey guys." He said nervously, tugging at his collar with a forced grin. "How's it going?"

"We'd like some answers," Robin said, ever the serious one, "about you and Raven. We know something's going on Beast Boy."

"Raven?" Beast Boy did his best to act surprised, leaning up against the couch's arm casually. "I have no idea what you're–"

"Beast Boy, you never leave her room!" Starfire burst out suddenly. "And you do not speak to anyone except for each other! You are acting like we are not even friends anymore."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Is _that_ what this is all about? Of course we're still friends!" He straightened up. "Really. But I'm glad we got that all sorted out; I'm going to go to my room now and–"

"Beast Boy." Robin frowned at him, also rising from his place on the couch. "We're not finished here."

"We're… not?"

"Sit down, B," Cyborg patted the place next to him, "I have a feeling we're going to be a while."

* * *

"I bet you're getting hungry, aren't you Margo?" Raven stretched her arms wide, glancing over her shoulder at the park's clock. 11 o'clock sharp. They had been out for four hours now, and neither had had a very big breakfast. _It's no wonder I'm thinking about food!_

"Ababadaaaa!" Margo sang at her feet, and Raven stood quickly.

"Right back atcha, hun." Raven smiled, bending to scoop the child into her arms. Margo tried to pull away, but subsided after a moment and pressed her face into her caretaker's shoulder. "Let's go and get something to eat, okay?"

Tugging her hood with her free hand, Raven assured herself that her hair was well covered before walking out of the park with the baby on her hip. Making her way down the street, she avoided the odd looks people gave her – she was used to these by now – and walked into the first food-serving building she could find. The pizza place.

_Beast Boy would be proud._ Ordering two slices, Raven grabbed a fork from the counter and chopped tiny pieces for her companion, sitting her on her lap as they ate together. Of course, more food ended up on the floor or on Raven than in the baby's stomach, but neither seemed to mind too much, and so they left feeling full and – were it possible – happier than ever.

So happy, in fact, that both Titan and child were entirely unaware of the shadow behind them, stalking after them as the sky grew ever darker.

* * *

"So that's the whole story." Beast Boy finished, letting out a sigh as he finally looked up from the ground. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire didn't say a thing, and Beast Boy continued quickly. "See, we weren't trying to make any trouble! We just wanted to make sure she was taken care of while we–"

'You did the right thing, Beast Boy." Robin said seriously, startling the changeling into silence.

"I think so too," Cyborg added in, "You just did it in the wrong way. You shoulda told us, man!"

"I agree." Robin nodded. "We could have taken care of it better together. We're supposed to be a team, remember?"

Beast Boy's mouth opened in a wide grin. "You mean it? So we can keep–"

"No." Robin said firmly, shaking his head. "But we _can_ look out for her and help you in your search."

The younger Titan hadn't seemed to have heard his first answer, and he jumped to his feet. "You guys are the best!"

"We know." Cyborg grinned, but Robin shook his head again.

"We're not keeping her here, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy, however, was no longer listening, but had raced away from his friends and was busy contacting Raven via his communicator.

"Hey, Raven, guess what?" He giggled like a school girl, feeling nothing but ecstasy at the way Robin and the others had acted towards his confession. He continued to grin as he waited for her to respond, but the screen had gone black and fuzzy. "…Raven?" He squinted at the screen, tapping the device. "Man! It _would_ be broken!"

"Broken?" Cyborg came over to stand beside Beast Boy, taking a closer look at the communicator. "It doesn't look…"

"Beast Boy?" Raven's voice finally came through, and Beast Boy's grin re-appeared as he prepared to tell her his good news. However, his excitement was abruptly cut short at the empath's next, whispered words: "I'm so sorry."


	5. Can I Get a 411?

**_A/N: _**_Let's just pretend it hasn't been eons, and that you don't all hate me, okay? I've been in a fanfiction-y mood lately, so you can probably expect some more (not to mention lengthier) chapters here soon._

_Oh- and special shoutout to Edgar H. Sutter for his review and subsequent messages! These things really help me, and I will likely be using some of the suggestions you made during this story, so thanks a heap! If anyone else has suggestions or ideas, I'll always love to hear them! :)  
_

_And now, without further ado - chapter five. Enjoy, and don't forget to R&R! -Arayllin  
_

* * *

"What do you mean you _lost_ her?" Beast Boy's arms were flailing in the air as he paced back and forth in front of his team, eye wide with disbelief. "You don't just _lose _a little girl!"

"Beast Boy!" Robin raised a hand to shut him up. "You need to let her finish; I'm sure there's more to this."

Stopping his pacing, Beast Boy turned to stare intensely at Raven, who was standing a few feet away from him, arms crossed and head bowed. She looked like a mess – the street clothes she was still wearing were rumpled and dirty, and her hair had certainly seen better days. Raising her eyes to meet the four Titans in front of her, she took a deep breath.

"I didn't just _lose _her, Beast Boy," she said huskily, the emotion in her voice betraying her blank expression. "She was taken from me."

"_Taken_?" Starfire repeated, shocked. "But who would take a little–"

"I don't know," Beast Boy answered before she had even finished the question, "but whoever it was is going to regret it." The tone in his voice was dark, and gave his friends reason to each take a step back before continuing their interrogation.

"So I'm guessing you have no idea who it was?" Robin asked, watching Raven carefully as she pushed her hair behind her ears.

"Not a clue." She said shakily, working to calm her nerves without appearing to have lost them. "I honestly don't know what even happened… we were walking back to the tower, and Margo was in my arms, and then… she wasn't."

"Just like that?" Cyborg leaned forward, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Nothing?"

"There was a shadow," Raven recalled, "and then a voice… I didn't recognize it."

"That's something." Robin walked over to their main computer, unsure as to why he was doing so, and sat down at the desk. "What did it say?"

"I'm not exactly sure." Raven said. "Something about _finally finding you_…? I wasn't really paying much attention."

"So we don't have any leads then." Cyborg sighed. "Guess we gotta do this the old fashioned way then."

"The old fashioned way?" Starfire questioned, and the Boy Wonder smiled grimly.

"We're going to have to call the police." He said wearily. "Get a search party out, _missing child_ posters… whatever we can."

"We're not even going to try to find her ourselves?" Beast Boy interjected loudly, jumping up into Robin's face.

"Of course we are, Beast Boy." His leader pushed him back, reaching for a nearby telephone. "We just need to cover all our bases; to make sure we find her."

"You guys just don't get it," Beast Boy said in response, his voice suddenly much softer, "how could you? She's… our _baby_."

The other three Titans paused at the term, glancing over at Raven for a reaction. To their surprise, her only response was to cover her face with her hands, leaning forward so they wouldn't see her face.

"She's our baby…" Beast Boy repeated, sinking onto the sofa while Robin dialed the number for the police.

"I know she is, BB." Cyborg walked over to his friend, pressing a hand into his back. "And we're gonna find her. Together."

* * *

Hours later, with an _Amber Alert _issued city-wide, the Titans were having little luck. They had combed the city dozens of times already, with and without the help of the police, but had yet to turn up anything. Having split up for better results, the team met back at their tower to share the bad news.

"I haven't even found a clue." Robin admitted the moment they were back together. "Anyone find anything?"

Sighs and groans from his teammates answered his question, and he leaned back against the tower with a groan of his own. "This is getting us nowhere."

"I searched the park from top to bottom," Beast Boy grumbled then, more to himself than to the others, "there's no sign of _anything_!"

"I know," Raven nodded in agreement, "I checked it out too – nothing."

"If only we could find a hint!" Starfire hovered in the air above her friends, thinking. "Something to tell us who would have kidnapped her."

"If she's even been kidnapped." Cyborg said darkly, causing everyone's attention to turn to him. "I'm just saying, maybe this isn't a case of kidnapping. Maybe someone–"

"If you finish that sentence, so help me…" Raven growled in his direction, while Beast Boy's expression gave the same sentiments. Cyborg cleared his throat.

"Y'all didn't let me finish;" he said quickly; "I was gonna say that maybe her real family found her. Maybe they thought _Raven_ was the bad guy, and, I dunno, swooped in to save the day?"

There was a moment's hesitation as each Titan considered this. "It's a possibility." Robin said finally.

"Do you not think they would have spoken up by now if they had?" Starfire questioned. "If they saw the news reports on their baby, and they knew she was safe…"

"The news reports are looking for a little girl named Margo," Raven cut in, joining Robin in leaning up against their home, "that isn't necessarily her birth name."

"That's also true." Robin nodded slowly. "There's no way of knowing if she was taken by someone with good or evil intent, but it _is _our responsibility to find out."

His team nodded as one, and Robin glanced down at his communicator. "I'm going to call the Chief and see if they've come up with anything yet."

"Good idea." Cyborg nodded again, reaching up for Starfire to take his hands. "We'll split off and search again."

Robin waved them away as she took off, then turned on his communicator and stepped away from the remaining Titans to make his call. Beast Boy and Raven exchanged a glance before doing the same as their teammates – she grabbed him under the arms and levitated high into the sky. While he would normally turn into a bird and fly at her side, they had recently realized they preferred it this way, so that they could have actual conversations while flying.

"Remember when we did this with Margo?" Beast Boy said quietly as they flew over the water separating their island from the city. Raven smiled slightly at the memory – they had gone flying with Margo a couple of times while looking for her family. The little girl hadn't been nervous at all, not even when they had let go of her and kept her airborne with Raven's powers alone. They'd come to the conclusion that she either trusted them completely, or had no idea what was going on.

Holding back a giggle, Beast Boy suddenly felt an aching in his chest, and realized all at once how precious Margo had grown to him. It was almost exactly two weeks after they had discovered the little girl; and while it had been difficult keeping her hidden from the rest of the team, every moment had been worth it. Heck, even getting up at seven every morning to hide out in Raven's room had been worth it! He just _had_ to get her back again.

"Where are we going, Raven?" The changeling looked down at the buildings beneath his feet, which were growing gradually unfamiliar as they worked their way towards the outskirts of the city.

Raven didn't respond for a few minutes, finally coming to a stop atop a rather large gray-roofed two-story house. She looked around the area, which was considerably empty for the middle of the afternoon, and sighed. "I have no idea," she said truthfully, "I just wanted to get out of there."

"I'm with you all the way, dude." Beast Boy flopped onto his butt, leaning back on the roof so that he could see the sky. "This is too crazy for me."

"I miss her." Raven said in a soft voice, sinking to the ground a few feet away from him. She hugged her knees to her chest, and Beast Boy got the sense she was fighting to keep her emotions in check.

He sighed. "I miss her too… we _were _going to keep her, weren't we Raven?"

"No." Raven replied, her knee-jerk reaction leaving her lips before her brain even told it to. "Well, maybe."

"Don't be like that." Beast Boy chastised lightly, doing his best to smile at her playfully. "We both know you love her as much as I do."

"I know." She admitted after a moment, surprised at how comfortable she felt admitting it. Things between her and Beast Boy had always been… strained at best, and this sort of things was entirely new to her. Who would have thought a _baby _of all things could bring them together as friends?

"I guess we had better start looking then, hunh?" Beast Boy stood up after a few moments, staring around the area with a frown. "Bet nobody's looked around here yet, so we may as well check it out."

"Good idea." Raven too rose to her feet, ignoring the hand he offered to help her. "Let's split up; the more ground we can cover the better."

"Okay," Beast Boy agreed, trying not to show his disappointment, "meet you back here in an hour?"

"Right." Without another word, Raven jumped off the roof of the building, catching herself in mid-air and soaring away, leaving Beast Boy on his own all over again.

* * *

Each footstep he took kicked up more and more dust, and it was all he could do to keep from hacking up a lung as he walked through the dismal corridors of the old building. The small bundle in his arms stirred as he finally reached a window, throwing it open and bringing some light into the darkness.

"There, isn't that better, honey?" He gently rubbed the head of the child he cradled to his chest lovingly. "It'll only take a little cleaning up, and then we'll both be very happy here, don't you think?"

"Adadadadababadada." The little girl replied sleepily, her periwinkle eyes catching the light and causing her carrier to break into a grin.

"I love you too, sweetie," he said softly, wrapping a small blue blanket around her tiny figure, "now get some sleep. Daddy has some things to take of."


	6. Dirt, Dust and Disappointments

Beast Boy didn't even know why he'd bothered to get out of bed for this.

The alarm had sounded at exactly eight am- the sun had risen, and normally he would have been up and about in Raven's room, playing with his little girl. Or, more recently, out in the town frantically searching for her, growing more and more desperate as every hour passed.

Last night however, Beast Boy alone had stayed out until the early hours of the morning, so he had been in no mood to continue the search that morning. In fact, he'd not even had time to get into bed before he'd passed out on the floor in his bedroom, only to be rudely woken two hours later by the alarm going off overhead.

His teammates had told him to go back to bed, but he had been insistent on joining them.

"_It could be the guy who took her,_" he'd said. Could've been, yes.

But no.

He'd dragged his sorry rear all the way out to the far side of down – the run-down, abandoned _far side_ of town – only to be met with some wannabe gangsters taking a load from a warehouse. Not even someone he could pound without feeling bad, like Dr. Light, for instance. Just some idiot punk kids.

Growling, Beast Boy leaned up against the warehouse, arms folded. He watched through dry, red eyes as Robin cuffed the crooks, Cyborg talking their ears off about 'life choices' or some garbage like that. He really was in a foul mood.

Beast Boy, not Cyborg.

The changeling didn't seem to notice Raven as she took up a place beside her, or Starfire as she joined them. Not until the latter spoke did he even realize they were standing there at all.

"Beast Boy?" Starfire said softly.

He turned to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered gruffly, the lack of sleep far too obvious in his tone. "Just… tired."

"Try _exhausted_," Raven corrected, leaning up against the warehouse like he was.

Beast Boy looked over at her. Until just now, he hadn't noticed the bags under the empath's eyes. She gave him a weak smile.

"I was up until four," she said softly. "Not as late as you, but I didn't have any luck either."

"We _will_ find her," Starfire cut in to offer what she hoped was comfort. She didn't fully understand what her friends were going through, and she knew it. Certainly her and the other two Titans had been searching like crazy for the missing child as well, but they're hardly lost sleep over it. With no personal connection to the child, or even so much as a face to picture, it was really all Starfire could to do empathize and offer hope to her friends.

"We will not give up until she is home, safe and sound," the alien went on, laying a careful hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.

He sighed.

"Thanks, Star," he said, looking up to meet her bright eyes. "It really means a lot that you guys care so-" he stopped short. "Did you– can you guys– did you _hear_ that?!" He looked around wildly, and Raven and Starfire exchanged a glance.

"Uhh, no," Raven said simply. "I didn't hear anyth-"

"_Shhhh!_" Beast Boy hissed, leaning forwards and squinting his eyes. "I can hear…." His eyes widened, and before he even finished his sentence he was on the ground, morphed into a dog and tilted his head to the sided. Raven and Starfire exchanged _another_ glance.

"Beast Boy," Starfire began, "what are you doing…?"

She leaned over him, and he suddenly took off running.

Starfire stayed put, blinking in surprise as Raven took to the skies to race after him. A moment or so later, the alien gained her bearings and started after them as well, leaving an oblivious Robin and Cyborg to deal with the delinquents they'd picked up.

Beast Boy continued to run. And run. And _run_. The girls flew along above him, saying nothing as they fought to keep the green canine in sight.

He was leading them further away from the city – to the outskirt's outskirts, it looked like.

Almost poetic, Raven thought, nearly running into a building as Beast Boy suddenly came to a stop. He beckoned for them to come closer, and the girls wasted no time in complying. As soon as they got close enough, Beast Boy morphed back into himself and reached up to grab Raven's cloak. He pulled her to the ground as Starfire landed neatly beside them.

"_What_ are you doing?" Raven asked, yanking her cloak away from him.

Beast Boy crouched low, looking up at the place they had stopped. A giant warehouse, Raven noted. Must have been abandoned for years – it was coated with dust, and the walls were lined with overgrown foliage. It looked as though it was beginning to crumble as well, like the vines were the only thing keeping it in one piece, which was probably the case.

"I do not want to go in there," Starfire said with a shiver. "It looks so…"

"Creepy," Raven finished.

"Sure does," Beast Boy finally spoke up. He looked back and forth, then took a few soft steps towards the building. "Let's go."

"Beast Boy," Raven held out a hand, and he turned to look at her. "We aren't going in there until you tell us why you want to."

He glared at her a moment, then answered. "Margo's in there," he hissed. "I followed her scent."

"In that case," Raven smoothed out her cloak, then tugged up her hood, "let's go."

Beast Boy nodded, creeping into the dark building with the empath right behind him. Starfire hesitated a moment longer, then sighed and ducked in after them.

Inside the old building, it was dark. The windows were cracked, but the foliage prevented them from letting much light in. The Titans waited a moment by the entrance to allow their eyes to adjust, then Beast Boy lead the way down the hall. The girls tiptoed after him, everyone careful not to disturb too much dust as they walked. They opted against flying – the cobwebs coating the walls and ceilings were hardly describable hair decorations, after all.

Beast Boy, whether by scent or instinct, seemed to know where he was going, and no more than a few minutes had passed when they found themselves in a small hallway leading up to a single closed door.

"There," the changeling breathed.

"How do you know?" Starfire asked beside him. He just shook his head.

"I know," he said.

"Okay then, there," Raven decided to trust him, careful to keep her own voice low as well. "So what now?"

"We have to be careful," he said softly, thinking. "Raven, can you sneak in?"

"Of course." She pushed past him gently, and then sunk into the floor of the hallway. While this was normally somewhat disorienting, the state of the building made it seem more disgusting than anything, and she held back a shudder as she worked her way into the walls of the room they'd set their sights on. She listened carefully, but there were no sounds coming from inside. Taking a deep breath, she poked her head out of the wall, just enough to give her a clear view.

The room was dark. The shades were drawn and there was no light shining through – the only light in the entire place was coming from a very tiny nightlight that was flickering on and off near the floor. Eerie.

Confident she wouldn't be seen in the dim lighting, Raven stepped out of the wall, hovering an inch from the ground as she looked around. She didn't move – just looked.

Squinting, she was able to make out the few features the room boasted. There was a small shelf in on corner, which appeared mostly empty. A wooden chair sat near the window and across from it... a crib. A brand-new, plastic, shining white _crib_.

_Maybe Beast Boy was right_, she thought, cautiously floating closer to the crib. She leaned over it, somehow confident now that nobody else was in the room. She should have guessed when she hadn't sensed anyone nearby, but she had been hopeful. Sure enough, the crib was empty, and the empath sighed.

Lowering her feet to the ground, she walked over and pulled the thick door open, meeting the other's wide eyes with a shake of her head.

"There's a crib in here," she said, stepping back to allow them in, "but no Margo."

Beast Boy bolted immediately for the crib, and Starfire headed over to the window, pulling the shades open to reveal the empty room in all its dusty, abandoned glory. Raven squinted in the sudden sunlight, and then glanced over to see Beast Boy hunched over the crib. His body was shaking, and Raven watched him with a sad look on her face.

"Beast Boy..." she began, but she cut off when he spun around to face her.

His eyes were huge, and he was clutching something in both hands, close to his heart. Raven leaned forward, and her own heart jumped when she recognized what it was.

Margo's pink baby blanket.


End file.
